Accuplacer

Presented by Fox Tech English Department

Purpose: To Measure Your Abilities

The Accuplacer provides useful information about your academic skills in math, English, and reading. The information is used by academic advisors and counselors to determine your course selection. Bascially, where to place you in college.

You can not "pass" or "fail" the placement tests, but it is very important that you do your very best on these tests so that you will have an accurate measure of your academic skills.

English: Three Sections

Reading Comprehension (78) Sentence Structure (80) Writing (6 out of 8) * Note: If you fail the Sentence Structure or the Writing, you will have to take both sections again. Your best bet is to take the Writing and pass it before you take Sentence Structure.

Reading Comprehension (78)

20 questions; two types The first type consists of a reading passage followed by a question based on the text. Both short and long passages are provided. The reading passages can also be classified according to the kind of information processing required including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to a secondary idea, application, and inference.

The second type of question, sentence relationships, presents two sentences followed by a question about the relationship between these two sentences. The question may ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence supports that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same information.

Sentence Structure (80)

20 Sentence Skills, two types of questions Sentence Correction: These questions ask you to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence. Construction Shift: These questions ask that a sentence be rewritten according to the criteria shown while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original sentence. Within these two categories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being tested. Some questions deal with the logic of the sentence, others with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.

Writing
This test measures your ability to write effectively, which is critical to academic success. Your writing sample will be scored on the basis of how effectively it communicates a whole message to the readers for the stated purpose. Your score will based on your ability to express, organize, and support your opinions and ideas, not the position you take on the essay topic. The following five characteristics of writing will be considered: FocusClarity with which you maintain your main idea or point of view OrganizationClarity with which you structure your response and present a logical sequence of ideas Development and SupportExtent to which you elaborate on your ideas and the extent to which you present supporting details Sentence StructureEffectiveness of your sentence structure Mechanical ConventionsExtent to which your writing is free of errors in usage and mechanics

English Course Placements based on Accuplacer Writing Scores

Essay 0-2 3-4 5 6 7-8 Sentence Skills N/A N/A 20-120 N/A N/A UTSA Placement ENGL 0309 ENGL 0311 ENGL 0311 ENGL 1311 and ENGL 0111 ENGL 1311

Essay 0-4 5 5 6-8

Sentence Skills N/A 20-79 80-120 N/A

ACCD Placement ENGL 0309 ENGL 0309 ENGL 0310 ENGL 1301

Sentence Structure Sample 1

Select the best version of the underlined part of the sentence. The first choice is the same as the original sentence. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first answer.

Stamp collecting being a hobby that is sometimes used in the schools to teach economics and social studies.

A. being a hobby that is B. is a hobby because it is C. which is a hobby D. is a hobby

Sentence Structure Sample 2

Rewrite the sentence in your head following the directions given below. Keep in mind that your new sentence should be well written and should have essentially the same meaning as the original sentence. It is easy to carry solid objects without spilling them, but the same cannot be said of liquids. Rewrite, beginning with Unlike liquids, The next words will be A. it is easy to B. we can easily C. solid objects can easily be D. solid objects are easy to be

Sentence Skills Tips

Look at each answer choice separately Read the sentences aloud. Look for word cues within each sentence and answer. In most cases, shorter is better! Make educated guesses. Stay on track

Sentence Skills Tips

Consider each sentence you are asked to look at. What are the possible problems? Be sure to look for common errors like:
1. sentence fragments 2. comma splices 3. agreement of different parts of the sentence 4. verb form 5. logic of sentence ideas 6. smoothness of expression

Sentence Fragments
Fragments are incomplete sentences. Usually, fragments are pieces of the sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. Fragments are frequently a dependent clause or a long phrase that follows the main clause.

Fragment Examples
Purdue offers many majors in engineering. Such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering.

Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game. Leaving her team at a time when we needed her.
I need to find a new roommate. Because the one I have now isn't working out too well. The current city policy on housing is incomplete as it stands. Which is why we believe the proposed amendments should be passed.

Comma Splices
A comma splice occurs when a comma is used to join (splice) two independent clauses, where the clauses are not joined by a conjunction

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach the town before dark.

Correcting Comma Splices

Change the comma to another punctuation mark:
It is nearly half-past five; we cannot reach town before dark. It is nearly half-past fivewe cannot reach town before dark

Write as two separate sentences:

It is nearly half-past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

Correcting Comma Splices cont.

Insert a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS):
It is nearly half-past five, and we cannot reach town before dark. It is nearly half-past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

Make one clause dependent on the other:

As it is nearly half-past five, we cannot reach town before dark. Because it is nearly half-past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Correcting Commas Splices cont.

Use a semicolon or a dash and a conjunctive adverb:
It is nearly half-past five; therefore, we cannot reach town before dark. It is nearly half-past fivetherefore, we cannot reach town before dark.

Agreement of different parts of the sentence

Parallel structure (i.e. using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance)
Mary likes hiking, biking and swimming. Mary likes to hike, to bike and to swim

Dont mix forms!

Mary likes hiking, biking and to swim.

Parrallel structure continued

Make parallel:
The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately and in a detailed manner. The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low. The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers.

Verb Form
Always make sure your nouns and verbs agree!!!
When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns and is connected by and, use a plural verb:
Erika and Eliza play softball.

When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor use a singular verb
Erika or Eliza is ready to pitch.

Verbs cont..
Remember that the verb agrees with the subject and not anything else that comes between the subject and the verb:
The team captain, as well as all of her teammates, is nervous.

The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
Each of the players knows how to catch. Anyone is able to do that.

Logic of Sentence Ideas

Independent verses dependent clauses Dependent clause marker words:
Angela studied for the exam at the library. When Angela studied for the exam at the library

Independent clause marker words:

after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while When Angela studied for the exam at the library, it was noisy.
also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, and therefore.

Can connect independent and dependent by using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) or independent clause marker words:
Angela studied for the exam at the library, but it was very noisy. Angela studied for the exam at the library; however, it was very noisy.

Practice Sentences
Writing a best seller had earned the author a sum of money and had freed him from the necessity of selling his pen for the political purposes of others. Rewrite, beginning with The author was not obliged . . . The new sentence will include A) consequently he earned B) because he had earned C) by earning D) as a means of earning

A. The author was not obliged to sell his pen for the political purposes of others [consequently he earned] a sum of money by writing a best seller. Note that this sentence makes little sense because his earning the money is not a consequence of his lack of obligation but rather the cause of it. Besides, the structure creates a run-on sentence, which is grammatically incorrect. B. The author was not obliged to sell his pen for the political purposes of others [because he had earned] a sum of money by writing a best seller. This version makes more sense because earning the money is in fact the cause of his not needing to sell his pen, and the sentence is grammatically correct. C. The author was not obliged to sell his pen for the political purposes of others [by earning] a sum of money by writing a best seller. At first glance, this sentence may seem to make sense, but was not obliged...by earning makes little sense and only clumsily conveys the idea. D. The author was not obliged to sell his pen for the political purposes of others [as a means of earning] a sum of money by writing a best seller. This sentence also makes no sense because not selling his pen is not a means of earning money but rather a result of such earning.
Therefore, of the four choices, B is clearly the best.

 https://qmark.fvtc.edu/q4/session.dll?call=surv ey.pip&SESSION=0829152571031547 http://ux.brookdalecc.edu/fac/writing/095/pra ctice/SentCorQ.html